Hezekiah b



(No Model.)

H. E. DEPP;

GAR PROPELLER.

No. 255,496. Patentd Mar. 28. 1882.

Wine as N. PETERS PhMa-Lilhognpbor. Washington. 0.6.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEZE-KIAH E. DEPP, on snDALIA, MISSOURI.

VCAR-PROPELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,496, dated March 28, 1882. Application filed January 7, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HEZEKIAII E. DEPP, of Sedalia, in the county of Pettis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mechanical Movements Adapted for Propelling Cars and Boats, which improvement is fully described in the following specification and shown in the drawings, in which- Figure l is a top View of my propelling device attached to a lower part of a car. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section in the line a: of'Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aperspective detail view of one of the propellers, and Fig. 4 a perspective detail view of a clasp opened in order to connect the propeller with the crank of a power-shaft.

The object of my invention is to prevent cars which are moved by steam, compressed air, or other means from slipping while ascending heavy grades; and another object is to provide an improved propeller for either land or marine uses.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in a propeller having a crank-axle, a connectingrod,aknee-jointleveradapted forhavingeither a calked-l'oot or a web-foot propeller attached to its lower end, and alifting-lever, whereby a motion similar to that of a horses hind leg is secured and utilized for propelling either acar or a boat, as will be presently described; second, in a-clasping device in combination with the propeller, whereby the propeller may be coupled to the power-shaft for action and uncoupled and thrown out of action; and, third, in the combination'of the propeller hereinafter described with a wheeled vehicle.

In the annexed drawings, A represents the bottom frame of a car; 13, the wheels; 0, the axles; and D is a power-shaft, provided with suitable bearings, d, on the car-frame. and with a pulley, d,which,by means of cords or chains d gives motion to pulleys c, fastened to the car-axles C; but I do not confine myself to these means for operating my propeller, as the same may be done by ordinary driving mechanism, such as is employed on locomotivemngine trucks. V

The car-axles O are each provided with two cranks, c, or eccentrics, as preferred, standing in opposite directions. To each. crank a connecting-rod, E, is attached by means of a clasp, F. The crank end 6 of the connecting rod E is ot'semicircnlar shape, as plainly shown in Fig. 4, and constitutes the counter-bearing of the clasp. The clasp F consists of two 1evers,ff,joined byapivot,f the leverfbeing pivoted at f to the connecting-rod E, and havof said axle, thus avoiding unnecessary wear.

The lever f is held upon the connecting-rod E by a headed guide-pin,f which guide-pin f passes through a fulcrum-sloaf ofleverf.

A crank-lever, G, (shown in Fig. 3,) suitably attached to the car, is connected by a rod, 9; to the free end of the lever f, and by this crank-lever the lever f is moved out of its normal position when the clasp F is to be opened, as shown in Fig. 4, and the propeller adjusted out of action and range of the crank of the axle O. The clasp is closed automatically around the axle by meahs of a spring, 0, fastened to the connecting-rod and bearing upon the clasp end of the leverf.

The connecting-rod E is held suspended by a link, h, pivoted to it at h,and alit'ting-lever, I, at ht. The end of the connecting-rod E is forked, and pivoted at c to the lower lever, j, of a knee-joint levei, J. The leverj is pivoted at j to the upper lever, j' of the kneejoint lever J, which lever j is pivoted atj to the car-frame. Below the pivot c a foot, K, is pivoted at It to the leverj. The lower surface of the foot K is flat, and is provided with calks 7c, in order to take a firm hold on the ground; and the upper part of the foot in front of the pivot-pin 7c is provided with atransverse shield, k which leans against the lever j, and thus prevents the shoe from turning over when near the end of its stroke. The lifting-lever I is pivoted to the car at i. It is of ogee shape at its front end, being turned down, as at t", and ending with an upward curve, 2' these portions t" i? being so shaped that they are within range of the crank of the axle 0 when the propeller is in action, and thus enable this crank, by means of the lever I, while it is describing the upper half of its revolution, to

lift the foot K from the ground. A spring, L, suitably fastened to the car, bears upon the lever j of the knee'joint lever J and causes the foot K to be firmly pressed upon the ground during the hack-stroke of the eonnectingrod E. The cranks of one of the car-axles stand at right angles to the cranks of the other, whereby the feet K are caused to tread the ground successively and at equal intervals.

Operation: If the propeller is applied to a ear,it is kept out of action while the car moves over level ground or low grades, as the traction of the wheels B is sufiicient in such case, the propelling devices being held up nnclasped from the crank-axles by suitable means, such as the lever G; but when the car has to ascend a steep incline the propeller is lowered by the lever G, and the clasps F are attached to their respective cranks c and the apparatus set in motion. The cranks c revolve and operate the connectingrods E and the lifting-levers I. By making its upper half-revolution the crank 0 moves the connecting rod E forward and swings the lever 1 up, whereby the foot K is lifted from the ground and moved forward. By making its lower half-revolution the crank 0 moves the connecting-rod E backward and allows the lever I to swing down. of the foot K begins as soon as the back-stroke of the connecting-rod is finished, and simultaneously with the beginning of the back-stroke of the connecting-rod the foot is let down upon the ground. During the back-stroke of the connecting-rod the lever I does not bear upon the crank, and is supported by means of the foot Kand its connections, thereby giving the foot a firm hold upon the lground, which hold is increased by the pressure of the spring L upon the levers j As the cranks are neces- The lifting.

sarily smaller than the wheels B, the connecting-rod E is attached to thelcversj a suitable distance above its connection k with the shoe, and thus a proper stroke of the shoe is effected, which keeps pace with the wheels.

By the above-described arrangement of the cranks o the steps of the feet K will be in succession and at equal intervals of time, so that the car is continuously propelled and no chance given the wheels to slip upon the track.

By substituting appropriate web-foot propellersfor thefeetKand applyingthe described mechanism to a bout my invention will answer as a marine propeller.

The apparatus may be all attachel to one axle or to a separate driving-shaft, as may be found most convenient.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a land or amarine propeller, the combination of the axles 0, having a crank, 0, connecting-rod E, knee-joint lever J, lifting-lever 1, and link It, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the connecting-rod E, knee-jointlever J, and a clasp, F, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a wheeled vehicle provided with power-transmitting mechanism, ofthe axles O, havingcranks c, connecting-rods E,knee-jointlevers J, and lifting-levers I, links h, and feet K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HEZEKIA H E. DEPP.

\Vitncsses:

J. L. MORTON, JOSEPH STEPHENS. 

